Ireland

Population: 3,840,838 (July 2001 est.)

Languages: English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

Background: A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for the 26 southern counties; the six northern counties (Ulster) remained part of Great Britain. In 1948 Ireland...

Currency: Euro (EUR, EUR (€0.84 = US$1))

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.